What the
by Harmony'sLoveHP
Summary: Katie's having family probs and goes to Marcus for comfort, but what happens when he wants to take her to see his parents? Visit during chapter 2!
1. What the

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, it belongs to the wonderful and talented J.K. Rowling. Cole and Cody belong to me. I do not own the song, What the Hell, it belongs to Avril Lavigne.

What the...

_You say that I'm messing with your head (yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)  
All 'cause I was making out with your friend (yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)  
Love hurts whether it's right or wrong (yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)  
I can't stop 'cause I'm having too much fun (yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)_

I rolled over to see Marcus laying on the couch in the living room. I quietly got up and walked the three steps it took to reach the living room of his small apartment. I smiled at his sleeping figure. It made him look so young. I walked into the kitchen and tried to quietly make something for breakfast, but his arms wrapped around my waist as I opened the cupboard.

I turned in his arms and looked at his sleepy grin, his beautiful green eyes, and dishevelled brown hair. I pushed a stray strand of hair away from his eyes and kissed his lips softly before turning.

"Eggs?" I asked brightly. He stared at my back. I sighed and leaned into his strong grip.

_You're on your knees  
Begging please  
Stay with me  
But honestly  
I just need to be a little crazy_

"They'll get over it, Katie," he said in my ear. I shrugged.

"You don't know my parents," I said.

My parents were super strict. I was of age, only seventeen and Marcus nineteen, but I'd be eighteen soon. They didn't want me to date him. They said it wasn't right that he dated me, but I protested and they got pissed and I ended up at Marcus's for the night.

"Just give them time to cool off," he said, going over to unplug his phone. I sprayed the pan and put it on the stove. "You okay?" I nodded and kept my back to him as I mixed up the eggs. "Katie." At the sound of my name, I put the egg down and turned to face him.

"I'm of age, they can't tell me what to do, so just drop it," I said. He raised his eyebrows, but didn't press it.

I finished the eggs and put them on the small table. He read the Daily Prophet as we ate and I flipped through one of his Quidditch magazines. Every minute or so, I'd glance up to see him look away. Hmm...

_All my life I've been good but now, I'm thinking what the hell  
All I want is to mess around and I don't really care about  
If you love me, if you hate me, you can't save me, baby, baby  
All my life I've been good but now, whoa, what the hell  
_

_What... what... what... What the hell?_

I was alone now, except for his huge German Shepard, Duke. Marcus was at practice. I sat down on the couch and opened my school book. I was going to try and study it, but I couldn't. I couldn't focus. I looked around the apartment. Some of my things were here, like my dolphin collection and some clothes.

I stood. His apartment was a mess. I started straightening it up, throwing a load of clothes into the washer, made the bed, picked up the cups that littered the living room. I ran the dishwasher and put the magazine's away before straightening up the bathroom.

"Katie?" a voice called from the living room. I walked out to see Marcus. "What have you been doing?"

"I was bored," I said simply.

"I can tell," he said, surveying the room before turning back to me. "Maybe you should be bored more often." I smiled and shrugged.

_So what if I go out on a million dates (yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)  
You never call or listen to me anyway (yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)  
I rather rage than sit around and wait all day (yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)  
_

_Don't get me wrong. I just need some time to play-ay (yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)_

I followed Marcus into "Stuff 'n Stuff", his friend's, Cody, store. The blonde Australian appeared.

"Bloody bell," he muttered. I smiled and fingered all the things wizards found fascinating, but I'd grown up with.

I picked up a yo-yo that was supposed to be "fascinating", but I'd never been able to make it come back up the string, it always unravelled on me and I got pissed at it. There were dolls, Barbies, Kens, Bratz, whatever the hell else kids were playing with these days. I stared at one of the Barbies and frowned. Barbie did _not _have tattoos, and there was more than one!

"Want it?" Cody asked. I jumped and put the doll back and wrinkled my nose in disgust.

"Hardly," I said. I moved on to the stuffed animals and found a horse. I waved Cole, Cody's brother, over. "How much is this?"

"Just a Galleon," he said. I dug the money out of my pocket.

"Don't let Marcus know," I said as he handed it to me in a bag. He winked.

"No problem," he said and put the money in the cash register as Marcus and Cody talked in the backroom.

_You're on your knees  
Begging please  
Stay with me  
But honestly  
I just need to be a little crazy_

"What'd you buy now?" Marcus asked once we were back at his apartment. I shrugged and handed the bag to him.

"You tell me," I said. He pulled out the black and white stuffed horse before smiling and looking at me. "That's what Witch looks like, right?" I asked, naming the horse that was at his parents ranch. He nodded.

"Yeah," he muttered and stuck the horse on the table before pulling me to him and kissing me. "You are coming with me to my parents next week, right?" I stared at him.

"Seriously?" I asked. He nodded. "My parent's will never let me go, though, and I don't have a passport or anything." He snorted.

"Who said you needed a passport, whatever the hell that is. We don't fly in a plane, we use magic. Besides, since when do you care about what your parents tell you what to do?" he asked, taking my hand and leading me to the couch. My mind was reeling.

_All my life I've been good but now, I'm thinking what the hell  
All I want is to mess around and I don't really care about  
If you love me, if you hate me  
You can save me, baby, baby  
All my life I've been good but now, whoa, what the hell_

"But, I'd have to pack and organize, and what about Scotty? What would I do with him?" I asked and at the sound of his name, my Scottish dog jumped into my lap and Duke laid by Marcus's feet.

"Take him like I am Duke," he said. "Please?" I smiled at him. Marcus Flint, begging?

"Okay," I said and stood. "I have to get started on packing then."

"It's not for another week," he said, pulling me onto his lap. I turned and gave him a look.

"Yeah, but I have to pack for you too!" I said and scrambled off his lap. He followed me into the bedroom and tackled me onto the bed. I laughed as he tickled me. "Marcus Nathan Flint!" I managed to gasp out as Scotty jumped up and licked my face and Duke tackled Marcus.

Marcus propped himself up onto his left elbow and looked at me. I smiled at him and kissed his lips before pulling Scotty to me. I was going to_ Nevada!_

_La la la la la la la la... Woah... Woah...  
La la la la la la la la... Woah... Woah...  
_

_You say that I'm messing with your head  
Boy, I like messing in your bed  
Yeah, I am messing with your head  
When I'm messing with you in bed_

I straightened my top on the ride over to my parents. Marcus gave me a side long glance, but didn't say anything. I fussed with my hair as he pulled into their driveway. I got out and stood there, decked out in a pair of jeans, a violet Cable tunic, and fur boots.

We walked into my house and found my parents having coffee and playing a game of Rumi in the kitchen. I cleared my throat and they looked up in shock. Mom smiled warmly at me, but Dad glared at Marcus.

"I have something to tell you," I said quietly. Marcus put his arm around me. "I'm going to Nevada to meet Marcus's parents next week and you can't stop me."

"You're meeting them so soon?" Dad grumbled.

"That's wonderful," Mom said. What happened to her?

"We've been dating for almost a year, Dad, and I've never met them. You can't stop me. I'm of age."

"You spend the night at his house, you might as well be married and now you're meeting his parents and telling us what we can and cannot do? What has he done to you?" he demanded, standing. I cowered next to Marcus's side.

"Harold!" Mom hissed.

"I'm sorry, sir, but she is of age and an adult in the wizardry world," Marcus said smoothly. Dad stared at him like he had suddenly grown a tail or something.

"Well, she's not here and she's not going," he said. I pulled away from Marcus and planted myself in front of him.

"You've bossed me around for my entire life and I'm done with it, Dad, I'm going and I'm never coming back for you, I'll be back for Mom, not you. Goodbye, Dad, I hope your life of hating me is wonderful," I said. "Bye, Mom."

"Bye, Katie, have fun," she said, giving Dad a cold look. I took Marcus's hand and pulled him from the room. I was a free woman now!

_All my life I've been good but now, I'm thinking what the hell (what the hell)  
All I want is to mess around and I don't really care about (I don't care about)  
All my life I've been good but now, I'm thinking what the hell  
All I want is to mess around and I don't really care about. (if you love me)  
If you love me (no), if you hate me (no)  
You can save me, baby, baby (if you love me)  
All my life I've been good but now, whoa, what the hell_

La la, La la la la la la, La la, La la la la la la la 


	2. Love Story

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, it belong to J.K. Rowling. The members of the Flint family come from Aphrodite-Venus-u.k. The song is Love Story by Taylor Swift

Love Story

_We were both young when I first saw you  
I close my eyes  
And the flashback starts  
I'm standing there  
On a balcony in summer air_

I stood next to Marcus on the front porch of his parents ranch house. I looked at the five barns, the silo's, the many horse fields with a dozen horses or cows in each, the long driveway, the dogs running around, the tractor's making hay, everything. I took his hand and smiled at him as a dog bounded up the steps.

"Hey, Annie," Marcus murmured, kneeling next to the German Shepard. I smiled as his mom, Lacy, came out. One of the stable hands, a girl, came out behind her.

"Katie, this is Molly," Lacy said. I smiled at the red haired girl with freckles across her nose and her hair in two messy braids.

"Hi," she said, not taking her eyes off the stable hand that was walking a limping horse up. "What happened, Bud?" she called and pushed past Marcus and down the steps. Marcus stood.

"What happened?" he asked his mom. She shrugged.

"Brent just said that he had a limping horse and nothing else," she said and before she was even done saying it, Marcus was off. I looked at Lacy.

"Flint's are all the same: a horse is hurt and before you can say why, they're off," she said, shaking her head. "Come on in, hon."

_See the lights  
See the party, the ball gowns  
I see you make your way through the crowd  
And say hello, little did I know  
_

I followed her into the ranch house. The kitchen was decorated in roosters with a large table. A man sat at the table and looked familiar to Marcus. The man stood.

"I'm Daniel, the second youngest," he said. I shook his hand and stepped back next to Lacy. I pushed a stray strand of hair out of my eyes. "Marcus got lucky on this one, Mom." He kissed his mom on the cheek and was gone. I smiled after him and turned to Lacy.

"What happened to Marcus? His brothers are sweet, but him? Not really," I said jokingly. She rolled her eyes.

"Hardly, Brent's kids are rowdy, you've just met Daniel at a good time. Lucas will be in and the three of them will be at each other's throats in no time," she said, laughing. "Just you see." As soon as she said the last sentence, a car pulled up in front of the house and yet another dark haired boy got out with a blonde girl. She went around to the back and a mini Marcus climbed out along with a blonde girl, who clung to her dad's leg.

"It's going to be hard to tell which on Marcus is," I said jokingly. She nodded in agreement.

"Just wait until all seven are here tomorrow," she said, sighing.

_That you were Romeo, you were throwing pebbles  
And my daddy said stay away from Juliet  
And I was crying on the staircase  
Begging you please don't go, and I said  
_

"Why are all of them coming?" I asked. She turned her back and shrugged.

"Oh, you know," she said as Lucas and his family walked in. That had been the same answer Marcus had given me and everyone else was acting suspicious. Marcus walked in and came over to me and kissed my lips before turning to Lucas.

"We need to make a run into town, you coming?" he asked. Lucas gave him a questioning look. "To Dart."

"Oh, sure," he said and turned to his wife. "You be okay?" he asked and I saw the small bump on her stomach. She smiled.

"Go ahead, we'll be fine," she said as the two kids hugged Lacy. Marcus smiled at me before following Lucas out.

"Barely here and he already left," Lacy said, sighing as the kids ran into the living room. I smiled and laughed.

"That's Marcus, he just gets there and then he's gone," I said, taking two duffel bags from Lucas's wife.

"I'm Marlee, by the way," she said. I opened my mouth to speak, but she cut me off. "I know, you're Katie." I smiled and followed her upstairs. "Luke said we'll be staying in his childhood bedroom."

_Romeo take me somewhere we can be alone  
I'll be waiting all there's left to do is run  
You'll be the prince and I'll be the princess  
It's a love story baby just say yes  
_

"Marcus told me the same thing," I said as we walked into a large bedroom.

"I'll be fine," she said. I smiled and walked across the hall to our room. I grabbed one of Marcus's hoodies before going downstairs and outside into the frosty Nevada air.

Marcus got back an hour later with a truck load of feed. I stood by the truck and watched as he and his brothers threw the forty pound bags off feed off the truck with ease. Every once in a while, I'd catch his brothers exchanging looks of mystery. He jumped down and kissed me before walking back into the barn. I followed him and met Witch.

"You know how to ride?" he asked, feeding her a sugar cube. I shrugged.

"Some. I mean, I took lessons like all the other kids in elementary school. So, yeah, I can ride," I said. He stared at me. "I can ride." He nodded and jumped when Witch butted her head at his hand.

"Greedy horse," he muttered. I smiled at the horse.

"I think she's wonderful," I said, stroking her face.

"You can have her then," he said, putting his arm around my waist. I smiled at him and we stood there in the barn, listening the sounds of the farm all around us.

_So I sneak out to the garden to see you  
We keep quiet 'cause we're dead if they knew  
So close your eyes  
Escape this town for a little while_

Supper was interesting. I heard stories about Marcus that he had never told me. Lacy was true to her word because Marcus and Daniel bickered almost the entire time. I finally sighed and put my hand on his. He looked at me. I gave him a silent look and he sighed.

"That's really a keeper, Marcus, never have I ever been able to get you two to shut up," Lacy said jokingly. Why did they keep saying I was a keeper?

"Yeah, I know," he said, sighing. I kept my eyes on my food. "So, Marlee, when are you due?" I looked up at her. She shifted in her chair. I could tell she was uncomfortable under everyone's looks.

"September third," she said, looking at Lucas. He was mopping up water that his daughter had spilled and looked up at his wife and smiled at her. I saw love in his eyes and wondered if anyone would make me feel that way.

Marcus squeezed my hand and I smiled at him. I already had a man that made me feel that way. No matter how long we've dated, he's never truly told me that he loves me. Never. Ever. It probably wouldn't last, it never does. I was the nerdy, rival house and he was the talented, untouchable boy that everyone wanted. A match like that never lasted. Never.

_'Cause you were Romeo, I was a scarlet letter  
And my daddy said stay away from Juliet  
But you were everything to me  
I was begging you please don't go and I said_

I was awoken by someone shaking my shoulder. I rolled over to see Marcus fully dressed. I looked at the clock. It wasn't even five yet. I groaned and rolled back over, but he laughed and pulled me back.

"Come on, I need to show you something," he said. I groaned again. "It'll be worth it, Katie." I sighed and allowed him to pull me out of bed. I slipped on a pair of jeans and one of his under armour shirts on. He tossed me a hoodie and I followed him out of the darkened house.

We walked into the barn and I saw Witch and a red horse with an original name, Red. When I asked Marcus about it, he said he was only five when he named it. He gave me a leg up and ran me through the essentials, but ensured me that Red knew what to do since I was half asleep.

Red followed Witch up the hill and stopped on top where the sun was just rising. Marcus helped me down and we stood there in silence. I leaned on his shoulder as the sun turned the sky red and the horses snorted behind me.

"Katie," he said suddenly. I looked up at him. He took my hands. "I love you, you know that, even if we fight and don't get along sometimes. I'll always love you and..."

_Romeo take me somewhere we can be alone  
I'll be waiting all there's left to do is run  
You'll be the prince and I'll be the princess  
It's a love story baby just say yes_

He knelt down and I jumped back in shock. "Will you marry me?" I stared at him, unsure that I heard him right. He was staring at me with his brilliant eyes.

"Marry you?" I stuttered. I was only seventeen!

"It was a mistake, wasn't it?" he asked, sighing. He started to stand, but I pushed him back down and smiled at him.

"Yes," I whispered. He looked sharply up at me.

"Seriously?" he asked. I nodded and took the ring out of his hand because he was too shocked to move.

I knew what was going on now. What they had been talking about and why they went to Dart to get feed. I got everything now, why it was so special to bring me here and why he wanted to get up at the crack of dawn. Everything fell into place and I pounced on him, knocking him to the ground.

"I love you too," I whispered and kissed his lips as the sun finished rising.

He smiled at me and pushed my hair from my face. We stood and watched as the farm came to life. His brothers and dad looked like ants out there and a truck pulled into the driveway.

"That would be Brian, right on time," Marcus said, sighing. I smiled at him.

_Romeo save me, they try to tell me how to feel  
This love is difficult, but it's real  
Don't be afraid, we'll make it out of this mess  
It's a love story baby just say yes  
Oh oh_

I unsaddled Red as Marcus hosed down Witch. A dark haired, well muscled man walked into the barn and slapped Marcus on the back.

"Little brother," he said and looked at me. "Finally did it, did you?" I blushed and looked away as he and Marcus fell into deep conversation as Brent walked into the barn. He walked up to me.

"It's about time he got a decent girlfriend. Lacy always thought he'd end up in Azkaban, but I kept telling her that a girl would come and he'd fall head over heels for her and she'd be perfect," he said. I smiled sadly.

"Not exactly perfect," I said, thinking about the argument I had with my dad before we came.

"You're a heck of a lot better than his past one's," he said, giving me a half hug. "Just keep him out of trouble it that's possible." I laughed quietly.

"That's almost impossible," I said. He nodded and smiled.

"Yeah, I know how hard it is," he said. "Well, I'd better get back to chores, they get impatient if they don't get fed, and I mean the horses, but the boys do too." I laughed and watched him walk away. I was smiling more in Nevada than I ever had.

_I got tired of waiting  
Wondering if you were ever coming around  
My faith in you is fading  
When I met you on the outskirts of town, and I said_

I walked into the kitchen to find Lacy and five kids making cookies. In the living room was seven almost identical boys and their wives or girlfriends, but Brian was alone. They were all picking on someone. Their target? My fiancé. I walked up and stood next to Nathan and Lucas, who were the only ones not bugging Marcus.

"Hey," Lucas said. I smiled weakly at him and shoved my hands into Marcus's hoodie pockets. I watched as Marcus fought off Brian and leaned back against the wall as a blonde girl ran into the room.

"Daddy!" she cried, looking around at the seven boys. Ryan stepped forward and the girl ran to him.

"What's wrong, Ali?" he asked and they disappeared upstairs and Logan descended on Marcus. I smiled and walked back into the kitchen where a girl ran with a spatula covered in cookie dough. I stopped her.

"Here, hon, that's supposed to be in the cookies," I said and led her over to where Lacy was trying to mix them up. I lifted the girl onto the chair. "What's your name?" She handed Lacy the spoon.

"Elizabeth," she said. I smiled and pushed her bangs from her eyes.

"That's a lovely name. My mother's name's Elizabeth too," I said.

_Romeo save me I've been feeling so alone  
I keep waiting for you but you never come  
Is this in my head? I don't know what to think  
He knelt to the ground and pulled out a ring_

"Is she pretty?" she asked, looking at me wide eyed. I touched her nose with my finger, still smiling.

"Very," I said. She grinned.

"I bet that's where you get it from then!" she said and put her interest in the cookies again. I met Lacy's eye and smiled at her. They were really a great bunch of people, just ornery like Marcus.

I was helping Lacy clean the kids up when a car pulled into the driveway. I looked at her and she glanced at the clock. A tall, dark haired girl emerged from the car along with a dark haired boy. How many dark haired boys were in this family?

"Aunt Haley!" Elizabeth squealed and ran out the door.

"Elizabeth, honey, you don't have any shoes or coat on!" Lacy called as I managed to keep the others from running out. Haley caught Elizabeth and hefted her up.

"Is that Blaze?" I asked Marcus as he came up behind me. He nodded as a girl came and clung to his leg. "Who's this?" He looked down at her.

"Emily," he said to the girl. She looked up at him with her blue eyes and her uncontrollable blonde hair. He stooped down and picked her up. She smiled and leaned her head on his shoulder.

_And said, marry me Juliet  
You'll never have to be alone  
I love you and that's all I really know  
I talked to your dad, go pick out a white dress  
It's a love story baby just say yes_

Haley and Blaze walked into the house and was met by the argument Brian and Nathan had just started about who had the better job and all that good stuff.

I sighed and went upstairs to escape the chaos. I stood in the window and looked over the ranch. We'd be back in a couple months for the wedding. Rather Marcus liked it or not, I wanted to be married here. It was so beautiful and peaceful.

I watched as Molly led a horse down to the practice arena and started warming up. I crossed my arms and leaned on the window. I bit my lip and looked at my phone. Neither Mom or Dad had called during the week I'd been here. I was starting to worry.

Maybe I shouldn't have said those things to Dad. I felt bad for it because I hardly ever argued. But, I was tired of him telling me what to do and when to do it. I was an adult and I was getting married. I pushed my hair out of my eyes and swallowed back the tears that had formed.

"You okay?" Marcus asked behind me. I jumped and turned to see him leaning on the door frame, frowning. I smiled weakly at him and nodded.

"Yeah, fine, never better," I said and turned back to the window.

_Oh, oh, oh, oh  
'Cause we were both young when I first saw you_


	3. Beautiful Bride

Author's Note: Just wanted to thanks Aphrodite-Venus-u.k. who actually wrote this chapter for me. The next chapter will be up this week I hope. Thanks!

Disclaimer: I do not own the song or Harry Potter. Some characters belong to me, others to Aphrodite-Venus-u.k.

**Chapter Three: Beautiful Bride **

Song: Beautiful Bride by Flyleaf

Summary: Katie, a happy bride, has flashbacks on her relationship with Marcus Flint. Flashbacks are from my actual stories.

**Bold: Flashbacks **

_Unified diversity  
Functioning as one body  
Every part encouraged by the other  
No one independent of another  
You're irreplaceable, indispensable  
You're incredible  
Incredible_

The beautiful, wonderful times were ahead of them. Lovely days united together was in their near future. Just a few more months until they would be united for all eternity.

She twirled around the room. She was excited, but not as excited as she thought she would be. Yes, these were the happy days, but he had been her lover for many years. Often she had thought they were married. People who didn't know them had the same thoughts.

She was going to be a beautiful bride. She wasn't trying to be vein or anything, but all brides were as beautiful as the prettiest sunset in the world. Every bride as a princess. Every bride shone on that very special day. She had seen this happen to many family and friends.

And now it was her turn.

Her was her turn to experience this joy.

Shortly two would become one. Shortly their lives would become stronger as they became untied as one. Together the world was endless.

The beautiful bride lay down on her future husband's bed. It smelled just like him. She didn't know where he was or what he was doing. None of this mattered. They only thing that mattered was the fact that he would be coming back to her.

Her world was a happy place. The world of a bride was like a child's play world. There was no pain, no suffering, everyone was at peace. Everything, everyone was united. Nothing else mattered as long as you stayed in this world.

It didn't matter how bad things were. It didn't matter how good things were. As long as they had each other, everything would somehow work out.

The first kiss with a lover is the most magical.

_Beautiful bride  
Body of Christ  
One flesh abiding  
Strong and unifying  
Fighting ends in forgiveness  
Unite and fight all division  
Beautiful bride_

**Oliver Wood lovingly looked at Katie Bell. She was beautiful in her own way. She had the body of a Quidditch player, but the nature of a lamb. She could be fiery on moment or she could be breakable the next. Oliver loved all of this about her. Most of all he loved the fact that she was so loyal to him. **

** Everyday she would be there for him. She would listen to his complaints about anything. She would help him heal his wounds after a bad Quidditch game or practice. She would care for him when he was ill or injured. **

** That was before, he caught Marcus Flint staring at her. Flint had been absent from school for some time (almost a month). He had been suffering (Oliver thought he deserved it) from pneumonia and had been on bed rest for two weeks. After the bed rest, he had still been too weak to attend classes. Oliver liked him better that way. He also hoped that Flint was too weak to practice. **

** Two days later, he caught Flint staring at her again. This time it was in the library. Oliver never did figure out why Flint was in the library in the first place. The last time he checked, Flint wasn't really a studious student. **

** The third time, he caught Katie looking back. He approached Flint in the entrance hall. He made a fist and punched Flint in the stomach. Of course, Snape came out of the Great Hall, saw Oliver hit Flint, and gave him a week's detention. **

** "If you touch her, I'll kill you," Oliver hissed to Flint one Tuesday afternoon in Charms class. **

** Flint looked innocently at the front of the room. "I don't know what you're talking about." **

** "Katie." **

** "Katie who?" **

** Oliver fought the urge to hit the other boy. "Don't play dumb. I know that's hard for you." **

** Flint turned looked at Oliver. "You never did answer my question." **

** "Katie Bell." **

** "The little blond Chaser?" **

** "Yes." **

** Flint looked away. "It's none of your business who I flirt with." **

** Oliver came up out of his seat. He reached inside his robes for his wand. This time he was going to do more damage than the punch did. **

** "I wouldn't do that if I was you." Oliver glared at Flint, who had his wand pointed at him. "You know you can't beat me." **

** Oliver looked at the ancient clock. There was enough time for one smart comment. "Besides, everyone knows you're such a flirt anyway. You never commit to one girl." **

** Oliver rushed out the door before Flint could curse him.**

** Later that night Oliver asked Katie the question he had been dying to ask her. "Katie, will you be mine?" **

** Katie kissed his lips gently. "Forever." **

_**Two days later **_

** Marcus sat down hard in the Quidditch stands. His lungs were killing him. He couldn't breathe and his chest hurt. He buried his face in his hands and didn't move until someone touched him. He looked up. **

** "Are you okay?" Katie asked him. She had a look of concern on her face. **

** "Fantastic," he muttered. "Never been better." **

** Gently, she lowered his head onto her lap and began to stroke his dark hair. To her surprise, he let her. After a while he rolled over onto his back. Katie bent over and kissed his lips. He returned it. **

** "Forever yours Oliver," she thought as she kissed Marcus, "maybe." **

_Strengthen your arms now  
Train your fingers for battle  
Urgency's here now  
Train your fingers for battle  
Fighting this violence  
With your feet wrapped in peace  
Sad tears and silence  
Now screams of joy  
Victory  
_Injury, sickness it couldn't divide the beautiful bride from her lover. They always stayed by each other. Always held the other through every battle, every heartbreak, and every struggle. They were there for the screams of pain, through the screams of joy, the screams of lost, and the screams of victory.

**Katie Bell ran her hands through her blond hair. She could still smell him. He smelled so good. Like a nice spring day. **

** Yeah, that's what he smelled like.**

** She looked at him. He was sitting in a leather chair staring off into space. **

** His dark hair. His dark eyes. His beautiful body. His prefect features. Everything about him was so prefect. **

** He looked like he was deep in thought. She wondered what he could be thinking about. She liked it when he was thinking. **

** She strolled over to him and sat down on his lap. She kissed his soft lips. "What are you thinking about?"**

** "Nothing," he said in his deep, bass voice. **

** She touched his hair. It was still damp from a shower. "You are to."**

** "I was just thinking."**

** Katie kissed him again. She rested her head on his chest. She could hear the steady beat of his heart. **

** It was steady. **

** So steady. **

** So calm.**

** "I could stay like this forever," she whispered in his right ear. **

** He smiled. His teeth were so white. "Better not. **

** "Why not?" She had a look of appal on her face. **

** "You're hurting my leg."**

** "Oh."**

** She never used to hurt him before. Why yesterday she had sat on his lap for two hours. **

** Of course that had been before his Quidditch game. **

** "You're hurt." **

** He winced as she jumped off of him. "Am not."**

** She lifted up his robes and pulled up his pant leg. On his knee, there was a giant bruise. Katie looked up at him. "Why didn't you let someone look at this?"**

** "The pain doesn't last forever." **

** She sat back on her hunches. She had played Quidditch at Hogwarts. She knew that the pain didn't last but it still hurt. **

** She rolled her eyes. He could be so bullheaded sometimes. He blamed the Irish blood that flowed through his veins. She blamed his father. Both of them had the same bullheadness and temper. **

** And so much more. **

** "Whatever," she said. "I don't' want to hear you complaining when it hurts."**

** He kissed her. "I love you."**

** Katie kissed him back. "Forever.'**

** "Forever," Marcus Flint whispered.**_  
Beautiful bride  
Body of Christ  
One flesh abiding  
Strong and unifying  
Fighting ends in forgiveness  
Unite and fight all division  
Beautiful bride  
_They had been rebels in the dating field. They were the first Slytherin and Gryffindor couple.  
**Katie watched Marcus as he laughed with his friends. She wished that she could go over and laugh with them. He seemed more careful and "innocent." She really didn't believe the innocent part. Oliver was just too uptight. He took everything way to serious. It was almost like he didn't know how to have fun. **

** "Did you ever wonder what it would be like to be a Slytherin?" Katie asked Angelina Johnson. **

** Angelina snorted. "No." **

** "Why?" **

** "Because we're Gryffindors and they're Slytherin. The two just don't mix." Angelina took a bit of hotcake. "Besides, how can you possibly be enchanted by them?" **

** "Very easily," Katie thought. **

** "They're just a bunch of pigs," Angelina took a sip of orange juice. "Wait, men are pigs. I'll not sure what you would call someone who's Slytherin and a member of the male gender." **

** "Is there even a word for it?" Katie inquired. **

** Angelina chewed her lip. "I don't think so, but it's definitely not enchanted." **

_Beautiful bride  
Body of Christ  
One flesh abiding  
Strong and unifying_

**Katie watched him drive. He hadn't wrecked her yet, but he did seem to have problems with the speed limit. She was afraid of that chance that he was going to wreck her or get a speeding ticket. She doubted that he had Muggle money to pay for any of this anyway. **

** "So, Diagon Alley sound good?" he asked. **

** "Um, isn't this supposed to be a non-magical day in the Muggle world?" she asked him. Unlike him, she never took her eyes off of the road. **

** "She never said anything about Diagon Alley. Besides that who cares?" **

** Katie remained quiet for a couple of minutes. Personally she thought that this whole field trip was kind of stupid. On the plus side, it was getting them out of classes for a day. "Yeah, I guess you're right." **

** He took his eyes of the road. "Anyway, I need another pair of gloves." **

** "For school?" **

** "Are you crazy? My Quidditch gloves are falling apart." **

** Katie rolled eyes. Typical, teenage boy; had his portieres straight. "Um, Marcus, do me a favor?" **

** "Yeah?" **

** "KEEP YOUR EYES ON THE ROAD!" **

** "Oh, yeah." **

** Katie wondered if he felt the same way that she did about him. Before this year, she thought of him as the evil Slytherin Quidditch Capitan. He was the one who wanted to put Gryffindor down. He was the bad boy, the rebel, the player. Now things had changed. He was no longer any of this to her. She was just, well just Marcus. **

**She looked over at him. It was too bad that they could never be together. **_  
_As that hadn't been terrifying enough, she was going to be riding with him for the rest of her life. Maybe she would hide his keys.

_Beautiful bride  
Body of Christ  
One flesh abiding  
Strong and unifying  
Fighting ends in forgiveness  
Unite and fight all division  
Beautiful bride _

The door opened. She jumped off the bed. It was just Marcus, no one really important. He was soaked to the skin.

"What happened?"

"Downpour," he muttered at he pulled his wet shirt over his head. He was getting water everywhere.

"Go strip someplace else."

"You don't like the sight."

"I don't like getting wet."

He hugged her and she slapped his chest. "Don't."

"Better get used to it."

"Why?"

"Because I'm going to do it every chance I get."

_Beautiful bride  
Body of Christ  
One flesh abiding  
Strong and unifying  
Fighting ends in forgiveness  
Unite and fight all division  
Beautiful bride_


	4. Today Was a Fairytale

**A/N: This is my last long one. The end has a sudden twist, so if you're thinking about not reading it, please, please read it because this is the last long chapter. Don't worry, though, I'm planning on updating it still, so just bear with me!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, some of the characters, or the song. It all belongs to J.K. Rowling, Aphrodite-Venus-u.k., Taylor Swift, and me. Enjoy!**

Today Was a Fairy Tale

_Today was a fairytale, you were the prince  
I used to be a damsel in distress  
You took me by the hand, and you picked me up at six  
Today was a fairytale, today was a fairytale_

"Hey!" Lacy shouted at the arguing boys. They all stopped and looked at her. I pulled out my cell phone and walked out of the ranch house as she lectured them.

Why were we here? Lacy had just broken the news about Brent having a heart condition and utter hell had broken out between the boys, not that there hadn't been for the past couple of days. I felt uncomfortable now. Everyone was there for Brent except for me. I was here with Marcus and he had proposed to me. I felt like an outsider now.

Marcus hadn't been kidding when he had said it rained. It could have been the fact that he came in soaking wet last night too. There was mud all over the place and I winced as I stepped in it. The air smelled like it did after it rained: fishing worms, rain water, and a mixture of manure and horses.

I walked into the barn, remembering that Marcus had told me there was a pair of rain boots in there. I found them and slipped them on. I walked out and shivered in Marcus's hoodie before going through the barns into the horse barns. I walked up to Red and smiled at him.

_Today was a fairytale, I wore a dress  
You wore a dark gray t-shirt  
You told me I was pretty when I looked like a mess  
Today was a fairytale_

I was stroking his muzzle when someone cleared their throat behind me. I turned to see Molly standing there with a horse and a brush in hand. I smiled at her, but she just glared at me.

"Hi," I said. She narrowed her eyes at me and turned on her heel. She put the horse away before stalking out of the barn. Was she jealous that I was marrying Marcus? All well, she could just be jealous. I didn't care. Jeesh, I sounded like Marcus now.

I walked into the tack room and looked for a bridal and saddle. I scanned the bridal's with plaques of the horses above them. I got Red's off the hook and walked over to the saddles. They were marked like the horse's bridals, but with the owners names. I frowned and walked over to a black one. I ran my hand over the smooth leather and looked at the plaque again. _Katie._ Yep, I was right. It had to of least cost a hundred, if not more. I looked over my shoulder to see Marcus leaning on the doorframe.

"You like it?" he asked. I looked back at the saddle, still shocked he'd bought it for me.

"Yeah," I whispered. He walked up.

_Time slows down whenever you're around  
But can you feel this magic in the air?  
It must have been the way you kissed me  
Fell in love when I saw you standing there_

"Wanna try it out?" he asked. I smiled at him.

"I already had plans to go riding," I said, "but I guess you can come."

"What were you planning on?" he asked, hefting his own saddle over his arm. I shrugged.

"Brent told me about this trail I wanted to go on," I said.

"Can you get that?" he asked as I tossed the bridal over my arm I looked down at the saddle and gave him a look. "Just checking."

I hefted the saddle and followed him back to Red and Witch's stalls. I put the bridal on Red and led him from the stall. Marcus helped me saddle him up and helped me up onto him. I could have got on, but I'd fallen the first time, so he just put his hand on the small of my back and helped me up. I settled into the saddle and waited on him.

Molly walked in as Marcus was saddling Witch up. She crossed her arms over her chest and stared at me and Red. I looked away from her and focused on Marcus.

"She can't ride him,'' Molly said. Marcus barely glanced up at her.

"And why would that be, Molly?" he asked. "Is he hurt? He didn't seem hurt when she brought him out of the stall."

_It must have been the way  
Today was a fairytale  
It must have been the way  
Today was a fairytale_

"No, he's not hurt. I was going to take him to the ring and warm him up before taking him through the jumps," she said. Marcus stood up.

"He's not a show horse or a race horse, Molly, he's an old horse that just wants to finish his life in peace. He wasn't meant to be rode in shows and races," he said.

"Brent-" Marcus cut her off, something he rarely did.

"My father is an old man. Besides, I have grown up with horses and you have not. You wouldn't know anything about them had it not been for me," he said. "If you want to show horses, go buy one for yourself. Your job is to help maintain the ranch and to take care of the horses, not ride them in shows."

"You just came back after a year. You don't know anything about what's happened or the farm," she said, pursing her lips. He sighed.

"Go do your job, Molly," he said. She stared at him before glaring at me. She spun on her heel and stalked out of the barn.

Marcus mounted Witch and started from the barn. I followed. I had already told him about the trail Brent had told me about. We started out at a walk and started into a canter. I eyed the logs on the trail, but Red seemed to want to go over them. I settled into the saddle and watched as Marcus and Witch cleared them easily and let Red take over.

_Today was a fairytale  
You've got a smile that takes me to another planet  
Every move you make, everything you say is right  
Today was a fairytale  
_

Brent had been right. This was the most beautiful trail, other than the one Marcus had taken me on when he asked me to marry him. The leaves were just starting to change and caused it to seem as though it was fall and not still summer. Wildlife scurried about and I smiled at them.

The trail was just as muddy as everywhere else. As Marcus urged Witch into a run, I was splattered with mud. I glared at his back, but Red and Witch didn't seem bothered by the mud. I put my hood up and tried to dodge as much as possible.

When we stopped to water the horses, I was covered in mud. Marcus stood there and laughed at me, but stopped when I told him it was his boots and hoodie. He shrugged and helped me down.

"They're wash," he said. I leaned against him and got him muddy, but he didn't care. It was beautiful.

There was a manmade lake that the horses drank from and huge cliffs behind it that held caves. I looked up at Marcus and walked across the dam to the cliffs. I ran my hand over the smooth rock. He tied the horses to a tree that allowed them to still reach the water, but they weren't free.

_Today was a fairytale  
All that I can say is now it's getting so much clearer  
Nothing made sense until the time I saw your face  
Today was a fairytale_

"You want to go up?" he asked. I looked at him and smiled.

I led the way, searching for footholds and handholds. I stopped at the first ledge and edged over so Marcus could sit down next to me. We were high up, but not too high. I looked at Marcus, who seemed pale. I elbowed him.

"What's wrong? Afraid of heights?" I asked, knowing he was. He gave me a look and put his arm around me.

"Course not," he muttered and kissed the side of my head. I pulled away and looked at him.

"What's up with you and Molly?" I asked. He stared at me. "You act like something happened." He shook his head.

"Let's not think about the past, okay?" he asked, not looking at me. I guided his chin to look at me.

"I was fine with you having a past of cheating, but tell me the truth this once. Is something going on between you and Molly?" I asked in a whisper, afraid of the answer. Marcus looked at me and brushed my hair from my eyes.

_Time slows down whenever you're around  
Yeah yeah  
But can you feel this magic in the air?  
It must have been the way you kissed me  
Fell in love when I saw you standing there_

"We used to date. In fact, she was my girlfriend for a year before I asked you out,'' he said finally.

"Why'd you break up?" I asked. He looked away.

"I moved to England as soon as school was out and we never talked after that. This is the first time I've seen her since I moved and me bringing you...I guess she's jealous and mad and I don't know," he said, shaking his head. I took his hand in between mine and waited until his eyes met mine.

"Like you said, the past is in the past," I said and stood. "Come on, I'll race you back." He smiled and followed me down.

I put Red back in his stall and hefted my saddle onto my hip before going into the tack room. I stared down at my muddy, ruined shoes and sighed. I'd have to talk Marcus into taking me into town to get a new pair. Marcus put his saddle back on the rack and disappeared without a word.

I walked out of the tack room to see him talking to Brent. I pulled my muddy hoodie off and walked to the house. Lacy stopped me, but after some persuading, she allowed me to go upstairs to take a shower.

_It must have been the way  
Today was a fairytale  
It must have been the way  
Today was a fairytale  
_

I walked out of the bathroom, dressed in a clean pair of jeans and a flannel shirt with a black tank top under it. I rubbed the towel through my hair and sat down on the bed. I pulled out my phone and checked my messages. Mom had called. How was I going to tell her I was getting married? It had to be easier than telling Dad; that was for sure.

I scrolled through my contacts and called Mom. I laid my free arm over my stomach and lay back. It rang three times and I began to panic, but then I heard her voice.

"Hey, hon, how are you?" she asked. I smiled at the sound of her voice.

"Hey, Mom, I'm fine. In fact, I'm better than fine. I have something to tell you, actually," I said, staring at the ceiling as Marcus came in and grabbed a set of clothes before heading into the bathroom.

"What's wrong? Are you okay? Did something happen?" she asked. I heard the tone of panic in her voice and the water turn on in the bathroom.

"No, nothing's wrong, Mom," I said quickly and sat up. "Um, Marcus asked me to marry him." There was silence on the other end and I began to panic again. Then, she squealed in delight.

_Time slows down whenever you're around  
I can feel my heart, it's beating in my chest  
Did you feel it?  
I can't put this down_

"Oh, I'm so happy for you, honey!" she gushed. I smiled and fingered a thread on my shirt.

"Lacy wanted to know if you wanted to come down for three days to help plan the wedding and she'll come back with us to help for a week," I said. I heard Mom take her breath in.

"Of course, honey," she said. "There's something I need to tell you, though."

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Your father and I are getting a divorce," she said. I let out a sigh of relief. "But, I'll be there."

"Alright, I'll see you in two days," I said. We said goodbye and hung up. I lay back and smiled as Marcus came out and tackled me. He was frowning down at me. "She's coming and that's not even the good part. Her and Dad are getting divorced." He kissed my lips and smoothed my hair.

"That's amazing, Katie, it really is," he whispered and rolled off me. I curled up to him, he was still wet, but warm, and smiled.

_But can you feel this magic in the air?  
It must have been the way you kissed me  
Fell in love when I saw you standing there  
It must have been the way  
_ I could have stayed that way, but Marcus had chores to do and I had to help Lacy make supper. I pulled out of his warm, strong embrace and slipped on my flip flops before heading down to the kitchen and Marcus out to the barns. Lacy was trying to hold a kid, talk on the phone, and stir a pot of homemade chicken noodle soup.

I took the kid and sent him off to play with his cousins. I then pulled out a head of lettuce, some vegetables and tossed together a salad.

"There's a recipe for homemade dressing somewhere," Lacy said once she'd hung up. I finished the salad as she searched for it and the phone rang again. "Can you get that?" I put down the knife and went over to the phone.

"Hello, this is Katie," I said. Someone cleared their throat. "Can I help you?"

"Is Marcus around?" a man asked. I frowned and wished there was caller ID.

"He just went out to do chores. Can I pass a message on?" I asked, wrapping the cord around my finger. He cleared his throat.

"Yeah, tell him Adrian Pucey called, he'll know why," he said. I froze and a chill ran through me. "Alright?"

"Uh...yeah...yeah, I'll tell him," I managed to spit out.

"Good," he said and hung up. I stood there, froze. Lacy was looking at me.

"Everything okay?" she asked. I hung the phone up and swallowed. I forced a smile onto my face.

"Yeah, everything's great," I said. _Liar!_ One part of me screamed, the other? _It was for the best!_ I didn't know which was right, but I was pretty sure it was the first one.

_But can you feel this magic in the air?  
It must have been the way you kissed me  
Fell in love when I saw you standing there_

I crossed the yard to where Marcus was distributing feed. I stood there with my hands on my hips until he turned. He gave me a look and crossed his arms over his chest.

"What's wrong?" he asked. I narrowed my eyes at him. "Katie?"

"You bastard. You swore you and Adrian weren't talking anymore! He's trouble, Marcus, big trouble," I hissed. "Don't you realize he's a Death Eater? You can go to jail for talking to him!"

"I take it you just did," he said lazily. I walked up to him and poked my finger at his chest, the finger that held the ring he'd given me.

"Until you figure out which part of your life is more important, I'm done," I said and pried the ring off my finger. Marcus's eyes widened as I dropped it into his hand. "I'm going home tomorrow, without you too."

"Katie," he started, but I gave him a cold look.

"I'm sick of it, Marcus, choose who's more important: me or your stupid Death Eater friend who will take you to jail with him if you don't do something," I hissed and turned on my heel before stalking out of the barn.

_It must have been the way  
Today was a fairytale  
It must have been the way  
Today was a fairytale  
Today was a fairytale_

**A/N: Alright, I know the past what, three, four chapters?, have been long, but they won't be from now on because I'm not putting a song in them. And, I know that the song didn't fit it for the last two or three pages because when I typed this, it suddenly took a **_**huge**_** curve. So, just bear with me and I'll try to make it worth your wild! Oh, and please, please read and review! I love reviews or at the very least, add me to your favourite's, your alert's, or something! Anything will make me happy now. Enjoy!**


	5. Forgive Me Not

**A/N: I promised a shorter chapter and this is half the length. What happens when Marcus visits Katie's apartment and practically begs for her forgiveness? There's a surprise ending and there's probably one or two more chapters left. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, it belongs to J.K. Rowling. I do not own Haley and Emily, they belong to Aprhodite-Venus-u.k.**

Forgive Me Not

_You have 10 unread messages._ I threw my phone on the couch and sat down walked into the kitchen of my new apartment. Why couldn't Marcus just leave me alone? I grabbed a package of donuts from the cabinet and a bottle of water before turning on the TV. Marcus's face stared at me. I sighed. Stupid Quidditch league. I flipped through the channels and settled on some movie.

Scotty barked at the door. I sighed and walked over and picked him up. What was the matter with him? The doorbell rang. I opened it without looking and found the six foot four, dark haired Quidditch player standing there. I started to shut the door on him, but he stopped me.

"Just hear me out, Katie, okay?" he asked pleadingly. I gave him a cold look.

"Why? So you can tell me more lies? No thanks," I said and turned. He followed me in. "I'm tired of you telling me lies, Marcus, okay?"

"No lies, I'm starting over," he said. I spun around and caught him off guard. I narrowed my eyes at him. "I swear, Katie, I haven't talked to Adrian in forever, probably not since high school."

"Then how would he know you were in Nevada? How would he know that you would be there? Why did he say to call him? What are you hiding from me? You see, Marcus, there' s a _lot_ of answered questions," I said coldly. He tried to take my hands, but I pulled away, not wanting to hear it. "Why don't you just go running back to Avril or Molly or whoever you cheated on me with."

"I never cheated on you!"

"Then why the secrets, Marcus? Go tell someone else your lies because I'm not listening," I said and sat down on the couch. I folded my feet underneath me and pulled Scotty to me for comfort. He sighed.

"Katie, fine, you win. I talked to Adrian _once_ and that was a year ago. I told him if he needed anything that I would help him out, not get him out of going to Azkaban, I thought he'd figure that part out, but he hasn't and now he pulled me into it. I can't get out of it, Katie, I just can't," he said, sitting down next to me. I didn't meet his eye when I spoke again.

"Friends don't let other friends get hurt," I said quietly.

"This is my choice, Katie, and mine alone. I'm not asking to bring you into this, I'm just telling you the truth so you don't hate me as much," he said and sat something down on the coffee table. "Think about it and if I don't hear from you soon, I'll know." I heard him stand and walk away, shutting the door behind him.

I took a deep, shaky breath and took the object from the coffee table. I knew what it was without looking at it. I silently slipped it onto my left ring finger and looked at the diamond. What was I going to do? 

"He gave the rock back? Katie, you have to say yes!" Angelina gushed, holding the ring in her finger. I shrugged and George walked out of the back room and whistled as he looked at the ring.

"He may be an ass, Katie, but he's a keeper for you. Maybe you can talk some sense into Flint," he said and sat a box on the counter. I pushed my hair out of my eyes and shrugged.

"He's involved with the Death Eaters, I don't want any part of that," I said, shrugging. He looked at me, but didn't say anything. Angelina put her arm around her fiancé.

"Come on, Katie, we can have a double wedding!" she said. I stared at her and so did George. "It could be romantic!"

"I think we'd ruin our friendship is what it would be," I said and took the ring back I slipped it back onto my finger. "I want to take him back, but part of me says no."

"I guess you can't follow your heart then," George said and left to yell at some kids. I looked at Angelina and she gave me a sympathetic look.

"What is your heart saying?" she asked quietly. What was it saying? Tell the stupid boy yes and move on, it wasn't his fault his best friend's a Death Eater.

"I'm not sure," I lied. She looked at me and I knew she didn't believe me, but she didn't press it and I was glad she didn't. I looked out the window at the Hogwarts kids buying Christmas presents.

"Well, you'd better decide soon," Angelina said and went to help George. I turned and walked out of the shop and back to the Leaky Cauldron. I disapperated and ended up in front of the huge mansion.

I walked up the front walk, none of the neighbours were out, but it was a fancy neighbourhood. They were probably at their beach houses or golfing, but golfing in the snow? Nah, more like skiing and snowboarding at the lodge. A slam caused me to jump. I whirled around. Vernon Dursley, Duddly, and Petunia were all standing there. Marcus was standing at the mail box, getting the mail.

"Marcus!" I called. He looked up and dropped a Quidditch magazine. I hurried down to him.

"You can do better, honey," Petunia said. Marcus and I both gave he a cold look.

"Learn your place, ma'am," an Irish boy said from next door with the famous Harry Potter. They seemed to be renovating the abandoned house next door.

"Hey," Marcus said, turning to me. I smiled at him

"Can we talk?" I asked. He nodded and I followed him into the mansion. I slipped my shoes off and hung my coat up on the unused coat rack. "I thought you lived at the Flat still. Hermione Granger told me you moved here, it was your grandfathers, right?"

"Yeah, I've been here ever since we got back from Nevada," he said and tossed me a can of pop. "What did you want to talk about?" I walked over to him and sat the can of pop down before taking his hands. He looked down and saw the ring. "You said yes again." I slipped it off and smiled at him.

"Ask me again," I said. He sat his own can down and dropped to one knee before repeating the speech he'd asked me before. I smiled again and hugged him before taking the ring. "No more secrets, Marcus."

"I just have one," he said sheepishly as a baby cried upstairs and his sister sighed and ran upstairs. I stared at her and she stared at me. "My niece Emily and sister live here."

"Oh," I said, shocked.

"It's not permanent, she's going back to school soon and then it's just us and Emily, who was my brother who died's daughter," he said.

"I'm sorry," I said softly.

"You aren't mad?" he asked, sounding amazed. I laughed and hugged him.

"How can I be mad about an innocent baby?" I asked. He kissed my forehead and we stood there and listened as the babies cries faded.


End file.
